Chapter 12 The Early Renaissance

12.1 Toward the Renaissance

Goals

Understand the influences that nurtured the rise of the Renaissance. Discuss the important role of the Florence in the early Renaissance. Discuss the influential role of banking families on the government of Florence.

The 14th century was a period of great social strife and turmoil as well as a time in which new stirrings were abroad in Europe. Europe’s recovery from the years of the plague was assisted by new growth in economics and trade. In the 15th century, the center for this new vitality was Florence. Two basic reasons contributed to Florence’s important status—one rooted in economics and the other in something far more difficult to define.

Florence was not a feudal [link to glossary] city governed by a hereditary prince; it had a species of limited participatory government that was in the hands of those who had wealth and those who held land. It was the center of European banking in the 15th century and the hub of international wool and cloth trade. The vast monies in Florentine hands combined with a great sense of civic pride to give the city unparalleled opportunities for expansion and public works. The results can be seen in the explosion of building, art, sculpture, and learning that stretched throughout the century. The great banking families of Florence built and supported art to enhance their reputations, that of their city, and, partly, as a form of expiation for the sin of taking interest on money, a practice forbidden by the Church.

12.2 The First Phase: Masaccio, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi

Goals

Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Masaccio. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Ghiberti. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Brunelleschi.

Most puzzling about Florence in this period is the sheer enormity of artistic talent it produced. This relatively small city produced a tradition of art that spanned the century. Part of the explanation, of course, was native talent, but part of it also lies in the character of a city that supported the arts, nurtured artists, and enhanced civic life with beauty and learning.

During the 15th century, a group of Florentine artists revolutionized Western art to such an extent that later historians refer to the period as a time of rebirth (renaissance) in the arts. These developments are evident, for example, in Masaccio’s frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel. Further evidence is seen in Ghiberti’s doors of the Florence Baptistery. They are also evident in Brunelleschi’s solution of an architectural problem that allowed him to successfully place a dome atop Florence’s Cathedral.

12.3 The Medici Era

Goals

Discuss the Medici family’s influential role in the government of Florence. Discuss the Medici family’s influential role on several outstanding artists in Florence. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Donatello. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Botticelli. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Michelangelo. Recognize and discuss characteristics of representative works by Leonardo.

For much of the 15th century, Florence was under the control of the Medici family, under the leadership of Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo. Through their patronage, the Medici made tremendous contributions to the arts, for example, in the works of Donatello and Botticelli. Among the other artists working in Florence during the Medici dominance were Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci.

12.4 The Character of Renaissance Humanism

Goals

Understand the important role of Renaissance humanism. Recognize and discuss contributions of Aldus Manutius to the printing world. Recognize and discuss characteristics humanism as represented by Machiavelli. Recognize and discuss characteristics humanism as represented by Erasmus.

The period also witnessed the rise of humanism. Oration on the Dignity of Man, written by Pico della Mirandola, is often considered the first and most important document of Renaissance humanism. Aldus Manutius, the most famous printer and publisher of the 15th century, made monumental contributions to the publishing world through his Aldine Press. The double usage of humanist learning for secular and spiritual reform is evident in the works of Machiavelli and Erasmus.

12.5 Music in the Fifteenth Century

Goals

Understand developments that nurtured the importance of music in Florence. Discuss Guillaume Dufay’s important role in Renaissance music.

The principal composers of the early Renaissance were from the North. Strong commercial links between Florence and the North ensured the exchange of ideas, and a new musical style that had been developed to please the ear of the prosperous merchant families of the North soon found its way to Italy. Guillaume Dufay, the most famous composer of the century, exemplifies the tendency of music to cross national boundaries. Dufay was among the first composers to introduce a familiar folk tune into the music of the Mass.